Apparatus for bending chain-links



P. L. WEIMER.

Apparatus for Bending Cha lin Links. bio 150,758. Patented Oct. 31,1865.

N. PEYERS, FhohrLithognpMr. Washington. D c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PETER L. IVEIMER, OF LEBANON, PENNSYLVANIA.

APPARATUS FOR BENDING CHAIN -LINKS.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, PETER L. WEIMER, of Lebanon, in the county ofLebanon and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and usefulMachine for Making Chain Links and Chains; and I do hereby declare thatthe foling is afull, clear, and exaotdescription thereof, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of thisspecification, in which Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improvedmachine, showing a rod in process of being formedintoalink. Fig.2 is alougitudinalsection taken in a vertical plane through the center of themachine. Fig. 3 is a top view of the linkformers. Figs. 4 and 5 show therod before and after it is bent into the form of a link.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the severalfigures.

The object of my invention is to facilitate the work of making links andchains for railroad-cars and other purposes by combining the contrivanceupon which the links are formed with aturning-mandrel, for the purposeof enabling the smith to have that portion of. the link which is beingbent always uppermost, so as to enable him to strike vertical blows withhis hammer.

Another object of my invention is to combine a link-l'ormingdevice withan anvil upon which the links are flattened.

To enable others skilled in the art to understand myinvention, I willdescribe its construction and operation.

Inthe accompanying drawings,Arepresents a vertical standard, which ismounted upon a base, B, and which has an anvil, G, with a horizontal topsuitably secured on its upper end.

D is a horizontal mandrel, which passes through the standard A, as shownin Fig. 2, and receives on one end a balance-wheel, E, which is securedin place by means of a keywedge, d. On the opposite end of the mandrel Dis a form, I), over which the link is bent, as clearly represented inthe drawings. This form 1) projects from the face of a block or head, 0,which is adapted for receiving keys d d, that are used in the operationof bending the rods (shown in Figs. 1 and 5) for holding theserods inplace on the form I). The keys are driven into the head 0 so as toincline over the linkrod, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. At anintermediate point between the ends of the form I) a slot, 9, is madefor the purpose of receiving the ends of links in the operation ofconnecting them together, as will be hereinafter shown.

The operation of forming linksupon my machine is asfollows: The rods ofwhich the links are formed are out of the proper length, and their endsbeveled, as shown in Fig.4. One of these rods is then heated its entirelength and placed across the former b, so as to be held firmly by thekey (I when this key is driven into its place. The ends of the rod thusconfined are now hammered down by an assistant, while the smith turnsthe mandrel by means of the hand-wheel E in such manner as to enable theassistant to strike vertical blows. When one end of this rod has beenbent around one portion of the former b, and keyed in place by means ofthekey d, the other end of the rod is similarly bent.

As car-couplings generally consist of three links only the followingadditional process is pursued in their manufacture on my machine: Saythat the smith receives an order for one hundred couplings, he commencesby cutting up the rods in proper length, and taking one hundred pieceshe bends them as above described, and welds their ends together. Awelded linkis now inserted into the slot 9, and a straight rod passedthrough it and bent around the former b, as above described. By thismeans the links can be connected together very conveniently.

It will of course be necessary to employ difi'erent sizes of formers bfor different sizes oflinks. The change is effected by driving out thekey a and removing the mandrel D, upon the end of which the former bandits key-holding head are permanently applied.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Let ters Patent, is-

1. The combination of a link-former, I), with a turning-mandrel, D,substantially as described.

2. The link-former b and key-holding head forming contrivances with ananvil, 0, subc, applied to a turning-mandrel, D, which can stantially inthe manner and for the purposes be removed from its bearings atpleasure, subdescribed.

stantially as described. I

3. The recess 9 in the former b, in combination with the l'iolding-keysd d and head 0, Witnesses: substantially as described. D. M. KARMANY,

4. Providing the standard A of the link- ANTHONY S. ELY.

P. L. WEIMER.

